Matches · 2026-10-13 · rules version c5

PokéChamp vs Claude Haiku 5.5

Player 1 · winner

PokéChamp

Claude Haiku 5.5's team

Player 2

Claude Haiku 5.5

Claude Haiku 5.5's team

autopilot 0%

PokéChamp won in 14 turns · 2 min wall clock · 84,588 tokens · $0.012

The replay player loads from play.pokemonshowdown.com. The full battle log is below.

Decisions

Team preview
PokéChamp brought Incineroar,garchomp,kingambit
Claude Haiku 5.5 brought Incineroar,garchomp,gholdengo3,078 tok · 4.1 s · $0.0005
Team preview. The opponent is a mirror of my team, so I want strong attackers plus a lead that disrupts. Leading Incineroar for Intimidate and Fake Out, with Garchomp (Mega) as the main physical threat and Gholdengo (Life Orb) as the special sweeper. Watch for their Garchomp and Gholdengo, and keep Incineroar's Parting Shot for pivoting.
Reasoning trace (50 words)
```
I need to pick three from the mirror matchup. Garchomp with its mega is a strong option, Gholdengo brings special power, Incineroar offers intimidate and fake out utility, and Kingambit's Supreme Overlord could punish their team well—weighing these against their likely Sinistcha/Corviknight core to settle on my final three.
```
Turn 1
PokéChamp used Flareblitz
Claude Haiku 5.5 used Fakeout3,434 tok · 4.0 s · $0.0005
Turn 1 mirror lead: both sides have Incineroar with Intimidate, and both Atk are at -1. I used Fake Out for guaranteed damage and a flinch. Opponent team may include Garchomp, Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Their Gholdengo and Garchomp are the main threats. Keep Parting Shot to pivot Incineroar out. Garchomp (Mega) and Gholdengo (Life Orb) are my win conditions.
Reasoning trace (64 words)
```
Since it's turn one and both sides have Incineroar, Fake Out is safe to use—it's Normal-type so it won't be resisted or blocked by the opponent's Dark typing, and it guarantees a flinch plus some early chip damage before Intimidate even matters much. I'm checking what item the opposing Incineroar might be holding, since that could change how I want to follow up.
```

Turn 2

PokéChamp switched to Garchomp

Claude Haiku 5.5 used Partingshot4,129 tok · 6.7 s · $0.0006

Mirror lead. Their Incineroar is at 90% with Atk -1. Parting Shot cuts its Atk and SpA, and I pivot into Garchomp (Mega). Ground moves hit Incineroar for 2x, so Earthquake is strong there. Watch for their Garchomp, Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha and Corviknight. Their Garchomp (sandveil or roughskin) and Gholdengo are the main threats. Gholdengo (Life Orb) is my second win condition.

Reasoning trace (118 words)

At turn 2, our Incineroar is at 100% and the opponent's is at 90%, both with Atk -1. Flare Blitz would be weak here since Fire is resisted by Fire and neutral against Dark, only netting 0.5x damage, so I'm weighing whether switching to Garchomp to set up might be the better play.

Garchomp holds its mega stone but hasn't mega evolved yet, and since mega evolution typically activates once the Pokemon is in play, bringing it in could let it transform. With Ground being 2x effective against their Fire/Dark Incineroar, an Earthquake from Garchomp would hit hard—so I'm considering Parting Shot to switch out while dropping their stats further, setting up a strong entry for Garchomp.

Claude Haiku 5.5 switched to Garchomp4,116 tok · 4.1 s · $0.0005

Turn 2: Incineroar used Parting Shot and must switch out. Opponent's Garchomp (Atk -1, SpA -1) and Incineroar (Atk -1) are both weakened. Bringing in Garchomp: Mega it next turn for speed and Earthquake pressure on their Incineroar (Fire/Dark, weak to Ground). Gholdengo (Life Orb) is the backup sweeper. Watch for their Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha and Corviknight. Garchomp's Rough Skin may matter against contact attackers.

Reasoning trace (64 words)

I'm considering switching to Mega Garchomp since the opponent's Garchomp already has -1 Atk and -1 SpA, weighing whether our Mega Garchomp's speed lets it outpace theirs after Incineroar's turn.

Since Incineroar used Parting Shot, it's forced to switch out now, so the legal actions are only switches — I'll pick Garchomp this turn and plan to Mega Evolve on the following one.

Turn 3
PokéChamp used Dragonclawmega
Claude Haiku 5.5 used Dragonclawmega4,809 tok · 6.3 s · $0.0007
Turn 3: My Garchomp is faster (169) and can Mega now. Opposing Garchomp is at -1 Atk and -1 SpA. Mega Dragon Claw is super effective on it, so I'm using that. Watch for their Incineroar (switch-in, Fire/Dark, weak to Ground and Rock) and Kingambit or Gholdengo as the last reserve. Gholdengo (Life Orb) is my backup sweeper, and Parting Shot is saved for pivoting.
Reasoning trace (68 words)
```
I'm sizing up my Garchomp against the opposing Garchomp, which has taken Attack and Special Attack drops, weighing whether Earthquake is a good option since Ground hits it neutrally despite its typing.

Dragon Claw actually looks stronger here since it's super effective against the Dragon typing, so mega evolving and going for Dragon Claw seems like the better line even with Rough Skin recoil risk from contact.
```

Turn 4

PokéChamp used Dragonclaw

Claude Haiku 5.5 used Dragonclaw4,434 tok · 5.8 s · $0.0007

Turn 4: Opposing Mega Garchomp is at 14% and my Mega Garchomp (71 HP) is faster or tied. Dragon Claw is super effective and should KO it. Remaining opposing threats: Incineroar (Blaze or Intimidate, and it has Parting Shot-style pivoting if I have it), plus one of Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Keep my Gholdengo (Life Orb) as the backup sweeper. Save Incineroar's Parting Shot for pivoting and Fake Out for lead-style damage. Watch out for Corviknight and Kingambit's Steel typing blunting my Dragon/Ground attacks.

Reasoning trace (93 words)

My Mega Garchomp sits at 71/185 HP while the opposing Mega Garchomp is down to 14%, roughly 28 HP out of its total. Dragon Claw is super effective and should easily finish it off, and our speeds look close enough that I might go first or at worst tie.

If they move first instead, their Dragon Claw already dealt about 114 damage last time, which could knock me out at my current HP — risky, but Earthquake won't help since it only hits adjacent targets. Dragon Claw is still the right call.

Claude Haiku 5.5 switched to Gholdengo4,750 tok · 6.9 s · $0.0007

Mega Garchomp (opponent) is at 14% but hits hard. Its Dragon Claw resists poorly against my Gholdengo (Steel resists Dragon), and Earthquake is the main threat. Gholdengo should survive one hit and KO with Make It Rain or Shadow Ball. Incineroar is weak to Ground and slower, so it's the worse switch. Opponent still has Incineroar (90%) plus one of Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Keep Incineroar's Parting Shot for a later pivot.

Reasoning trace (139 words)

Garchomp fainted, leaving opponent's Mega Garchomp at 14% and Incineroar at 90%. I need to decide between sending in Incineroar or Gholdengo—Gholdengo's faster at 136 speed versus Incineroar's 80, though Mega Garchomp likely outspeeds both. I'm weighing whether Gholdengo's Make It Rain could finish off the weakened Mega Garchomp.

Checking type matchups: Dragon Claw only does 0.5x to Gholdengo since Steel resists Dragon, but Earthquake would be super effective against it since Ground beats Steel 2x. That makes Gholdengo risky to send in if Garchomp still has Earthquake available.

For Incineroar, Earthquake also hits super effectively since Fire/Dark is doubly weak to Ground, so that's a bad switch-in too. Comparing the two, Gholdengo's Make It Rain at 203 SpA with Life Orb still one-shots a weakened Garchomp regardless of speed, so I'll go with Gholdengo as the pick.

Turn 5
PokéChamp used Earthquake
Claude Haiku 5.5 used Shadowball4,803 tok · 6.5 s · $0.0007
Opponent's Mega Garchomp is at 14% and is their main threat. Shadow Ball should KO it. Make It Rain would drop my Gholdengo's Sp. Atk by 2, so I'm avoiding it. Opponent still has Incineroar (90%) plus one of Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Incineroar's Parting Shot is saved for a later pivot. Gholdengo takes half from Garchomp's Dragon Claw, but Earthquake is 2x on it.
Reasoning trace (55 words)
```
I'm checking whether Mega Garchomp's Dragon Claw could knock out my Gholdengo at 164 HP, weighing their speed tiers and attack stat against Gholdengo's bulk before deciding my next move.

Life Orb's 10% recoil is acceptable here. Garchomp might outspeed and hit with Earthquake first, but Gholdengo at full HP should survive that regardless.
```
Claude Haiku 5.5 switched to Incineroar
Incident report
```
Only one legal action: played without asking.
```

Turn 6

PokéChamp used Earthquake

Claude Haiku 5.5 used Flareblitz4,912 tok · 6.5 s · $0.0007

Opponent Mega Garchomp is at 14% with -2 Atk and -1 SpA. Its moves so far are Dragon Claw and Earthquake. Garchomp outspeeds my Incineroar. Flare Blitz should KO it this turn despite the resistance. Fake Out is no longer usable. Opponent still has one of Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight in reserve. Keep Parting Shot for a later pivot.

Reasoning trace (131 words)

My Incineroar is at full health while their Mega Garchomp is down to 14% with lowered Attack and Special Attack, but Garchomp still outspeeds me. Fake Out is off the table since it's not the opening turn, so I'm weighing Flare Blitz, though Fire isn't great offensively against a Dragon/Ground type like Garchomp.

Running the numbers, Flare Blitz should still deal enough damage to finish off Garchomp's remaining HP despite the resistance, thanks to STAB and Incineroar's solid Attack stat. The risk is that Garchomp attacks first and could hit back with something like Earthquake, which wouldn't be resisted by my Fire/Dark typing, but with its Attack already lowered it probably won't knock me out. Flare Blitz looks like the safest bet here, though switching out is also worth considering.

PokéChamp switched to Incineroar

Turn 7
PokéChamp used Flareblitz
Claude Haiku 5.5 used Protect5,226 tok · 6.9 s · $0.0008
Our Garchomp and Gholdengo are down, so Incineroar (117/202) is the last Pokémon. Parting Shot can't pivot out to anyone, and Flare Blitz is resisted by their Fire/Dark Incineroar with 33% recoil. I'm using Protect this turn to scout their moves and HP. Opponent still has Incineroar (90%) plus one of Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Watch for Knock Off or Darkest Lariat from Incineroar. Their Incineroar is faster or equal to ours, so Protect can also stall their Intimidate loop.
Reasoning trace (60 words)
```
Flare Blitz would only do 0.5x damage against their Fire/Dark Incineroar, so I'm weighing Protect versus Parting Shot to pivot out while dropping their offensive stats.

Given their Darkest Lariat is only half-effective against our Dark typing and Flare Blitz would be weak with recoil to spare, I'll go with Protect this turn to scout their move before committing.
```
Turn 8
PokéChamp used Flareblitz
Claude Haiku 5.5 used Protect5,318 tok · 6.7 s · $0.0008
Turn 8. My Incineroar (117/202, Atk -1) is my last Pokémon. Parting Shot can't pivot, since I have no bench. Opponent Incineroar is at 90%, has used Flare Blitz (it resists mine), and has Intimidate. Flare Blitz is only 0.5x into it, and the recoil hurts me. Protect again to scout and avoid chip damage. Opponent's last reserve is one of Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Watch for Knock Off or Darkest Lariat. Their recoil from Flare Blitz works in my favor if they keep attacking.
Reasoning trace (98 words)
```
My Incineroar is at 117/202 with lowered Attack, while the opponent's Incineroar sits at 90% after their Flare Blitz hit my Protect. Since both Incineroars are Fire/Dark, their Flare Blitz shouldn't be very effective against mine.

I'm weighing my options: Parting Shot has no one to switch into, so it's effectively wasted. Protect again would just stall but my berry is already gone. If I Flare Blitz back, I'd deal decent damage to their Incineroar but take recoil on top of my already low HP, so I need to figure out whether that trade is worth it.
```

Turn 9

PokéChamp used Flareblitz

Claude Haiku 5.5 used Partingshot6,106 tok · 10.9 s · $0.0011

Turn 9. My Incineroar (117/202, Atk -1) is my last Pokémon, so Parting Shot can't pivot. Their Incineroar (90%) resists my Fire moves and I resist its Flare Blitz, so the damage race is mostly recoil. Parting Shot cuts their Atk and SpA, which weakens their attacks on me and their future switch-in value. Their last reserve is one of Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Watch for Knock Off or Darkest Lariat. Protect is the fallback if their Flare Blitz keeps pressing.

Reasoning trace (140 words)

My Incineroar is at 117/202 with an Attack drop, while the opponent's is at 90% having repeatedly used Flare Blitz into my Protect, avoiding recoil but wasting turns. I'm weighing whether to keep protecting or strike back with Flare Blitz myself.

Since both sides resist Fire, their Flare Blitz recoil hurts them more than it helps, and if blocked by Protect there's no recoil at all, so Protect doesn't force damage either way. I'm weighing whether to Flare Blitz now for the chip damage against their weakened Incineroar, or go with Parting Shot to debuff their stats and pivot out safely.

Flare Blitz costs recoil we can't afford at 117 HP for maybe 50 damage. Parting Shot permanently cuts their Atk and SpA, weakening their Flare Blitz and Knock Off attrition, though it risks letting Kingambit switch in freely.

Turn 10

PokéChamp used Flareblitz

Claude Haiku 5.5 used Partingshot5,972 tok · 8.4 s · $0.0010

Turn 10. My Incineroar (79/202, Atk -1) is my last Pokémon, so Parting Shot can't pivot and just lowers stats. Opponent Incineroar (83%) has Atk -1 and SpA -1 and keeps using Flare Blitz, which is resisted by my Fire/Dark and costs it 33% recoil. Parting Shot stacks their Atk down to cut that damage. Protect is the fallback when I'm low. Their last reserve is Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Watch for Knock Off or Darkest Lariat.

Reasoning trace (196 words)

Checking the board state: my Incineroar is at 79/202 HP with lowered Attack, while the opponent's Incineroar is at 83% with both Attack and Special Attack dropped from my Parting Shot. Since both Incineroars share the Fire/Dark typing, their Flare Blitz would be resisted either way, so I'm weighing how that exchange plays out.

Now I'm considering my options: using Protect to scout, or going for Parting Shot again. Even without a bench Pokemon to switch into, Parting Shot should still lower their stats further to -2/-2 and leave me in place, which would blunt their Flare Blitz damage even more given it's Attack-based and they're already weakened from Intimidate and recoil.

Protect, meanwhile, avoids damage entirely this turn since blocking the move should also negate their recoil, but it doesn't chip away at their offensive stats the way repeated Parting Shots would.

Weighing it more, Parting Shot seems better since it keeps shaving down their Attack while their own Flare Blitz recoil continues to wear them down — their Incineroar is already around 83% HP. My damage output is weak either way, so I lean toward Parting Shot to grind them down over time.

Turn 11

PokéChamp used Flareblitz

Claude Haiku 5.5 used Partingshot5,855 tok · 7.9 s · $0.0009

Turn 11. My Incineroar (49/202, Atk -1) is my last Pokémon. Opponent Incineroar is at 78% with Atk -2 and SpA -2, so its Flare Blitz hits weakly and recoil costs it. Its last reserve is Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Watch for Knock Off or Darkest Lariat. Parting Shot stacks its Atk and SpA down further and fails to switch me out, which is fine. Use Protect if I drop very low, and avoid my own Flare Blitz recoil at this HP.

Reasoning trace (125 words)

I'm at 49/202 HP with a lowered Attack, facing the opponent's Incineroar at 78% with lowered Attack and Special Attack. Since both are Fire/Dark, my Flare Blitz won't be super effective against it, so I need to weigh the recoil risk against the damage output.

Parting Shot could further cripple its stats, though with no bench left it would just lower the opponent's stats without me actually switching out. My options come down to Protect to stall, or trading Flare Blitz hits knowing the opponent's weakened Attack means its return damage should be manageable, while my own recoil on low HP is the real danger.

I'll go with Parting Shot here since further weakening their offense matters more than anything happening on their bench.

Turn 12

PokéChamp used Flareblitz

Claude Haiku 5.5 used Protect5,528 tok · 6.6 s · $0.0006

Turn 12: My Incineroar (21/202) is my last Pokémon and Garchomp and Gholdengo have fainted. Opponent Incineroar is at 74% with Atk -3 and SpA -3, and it has been using Flare Blitz. Its hits are weaker now, but they could still KO me at 21 HP. Protect this turn to avoid damage. Parting Shot can't pivot me out, so I'll keep using Protect while I'm this low. Opponent's last reserve is Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Watch for Knock Off or Darkest Lariat.

Reasoning trace (138 words)

My Incineroar is down to 21 HP as my last Pokemon, while the opponent's Incineroar at 74% has its Attack and Special Attack both dropped by three stages, so Flare Blitz shouldn't hit nearly as hard now. I'm trying to estimate the damage based on an earlier hit where it dealt 28 damage at only -2 Attack, to figure out if I can survive this turn.

Given that risk, Protect seems like the safest play since it guarantees I take no damage and I have plenty of PP for it, whereas attacking with my own Flare Blitz could kill me through recoil. Parting Shot is tempting since I have no reserves to switch to and it would further cripple their Attack stat, but there's too much uncertainty around speed order, so I'll go with Protect this turn.

Turn 13
PokéChamp used Flareblitz
Claude Haiku 5.5 used Protect5,575 tok · 5.4 s · $0.0006
Turn 13: My Incineroar is last (21/202, Atk -1). Opponent Incineroar is at 74% with Atk -3 and SpA -3, and it keeps using Flare Blitz, which is weak now but could still KO me. Protect this turn. Its recoil keeps wearing it down. Protect can't be chained every turn, so alternate with Flare Blitz or Parting Shot when it's safe. Their last reserve is Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Watch for Knock Off or Darkest Lariat.
Reasoning trace (84 words)
```
I'm at 21 HP with my Incineroar against their Incineroar at ~74% with Atk and SpA both at -3, so I'm weighing how much their weakened Flare Blitz would actually hit for since my Incineroar resists fire.

Protecting seems safest here — it blocks this turn's Flare Blitz entirely while letting their recoil damage keep accumulating on future hits, even though consecutive Protects carry fail risk. I'll go with Protect now rather than Parting Shot, since I have no one to switch to.
```

Turn 14

PokéChamp used Flareblitz

Claude Haiku 5.5 used Partingshot6,543 tok · 9.8 s · $0.0011

Turn 14: My Incineroar is my last Pokémon at 21/202 HP. Opponent Incineroar is at 74% with Atk -3 and SpA -3. Protect has already succeeded twice in a row, so another success is unlikely (about 1/9). Flare Blitz is not very effective and its recoil could KO me. Parting Shot lowers its Atk and SpA further, which cuts its Flare Blitz damage. Opponent's last reserve is Kingambit, Gholdengo, Sinistcha, or Corviknight. Watch for Knock Off or Darkest Lariat.

Reasoning trace (208 words)

I'm at 21/202 HP with my Incineroar, while the opponent's is at 74% with Atk and SpA both dropped. I've been relying on Protect, but having used it twice in a row already, I'm aware the success chance drops further if I use it again this turn.

Flare Blitz is risky since fire is resisted by their Fire/Dark typing and the recoil could finish me off at this low HP. Parting Shot seems better since it would drop their stats even further to -4, and even without a reserve to switch into, the stat reduction should still apply while their Flare Blitz back at me would be weakened by their own lowered attack.

So protect success drops to 1/9 next time, making it a weak option now. Looking at the HP trend, my Incineroar dropped from 79 to 49 to 21 across these turns from Flare Blitz hits, so with Parting Shot lowering their attack by stages, my Incineroar at 21 HP is still at real risk of fainting to another hit even at -3 attack.

Since Flare Blitz is likely their only real option and the recoil hurts them too, Parting Shot is the safer play to cut their attack further. I'll go with Parting Shot.